Claireborne

Now There's Four of Them!!

Hagen's Tomb and a bunch of undead

17

APR/16

Arthos Gillwick had been clutching drift wood for four days and nights before he sank to the ocean and woke up on the beach. He is noticed by the children and a girl, Jenny, comes over to see him. After a short conversation, she offers to take him to see “Silky”. Arthos agrees to go along and Jenny takes him to a tavern. Once inside, she brings him to one man and two women. Raine gives her a copper before she leaves. The three adventurers remember the man from the ship we were on but none of them interacted with him.

Everyone makes introductions. Arthos is 5’10" and 165 pounds. He has aqua colored eyes, mid-20’s for age and has long silky blonde hair. Rain detects magic coming from Arthos. After sharing breakfast, Arthos is asked to join us in our in our adventure. He agrees to come with the party. Karma notices Clarissa – nose in book – come into the cafe and goes over to her. She asks what Clarissa is reading. She responds she is reading a book on alchemy. Arthos takes an interest in her subject and her. She explains she is trying to make a “potion of underwater breathing”. Clarissa explains she will have her shop open shortly and everyone can come over to continue this conversation once she finishes breakfast.

Rane and company go over to her shop withing minutes of it opening. The party asks about potions which can affect the undead and Arthos asks about acids. Clarissa explains she can get information to share by tomorrow morning. Everyone agrees to come back tomorrow. The blacksmith is visited next so Arthos can upgrade his weapons for the upcoming adventure. The party then goes to the doctors to get directions to the ruins and to introduce their new party member to him in case he gets hurt. The party is instructed to take the southwest road for two miles and to take a left at the fork in the road. They all take the path out there to scope things out. Upon getting to the fork, the party sees three cages each with a body in it. The first two are dead and decayed but the third has a bony teen boy in it. A guard with a symbol of the Krakken his garb stands at the ready with a keep behind him.

Karma approaches the guard asking what the teen has done but the guard is unable to explain why he’s in the cage. The guard does ask if everyone present is an adventurer because then the captain might have a job to be done. The party goes to the keep to see the captain who goes by Captain Pike. The captain goes on to explain the ruins are closed to the public but the party can be given a key to them if they do a job for him. He goes on to explain there are a group of bandits, of which the teen in the cage is one, who have been plaguing the area. He needs the bandits’ items returned. In exchange for finding the treasure, the captain will give the party a key to get into the ruins. The party agrees and are given a paper to give to the guard.

At first the prisoner is not very receptive to helping but a deal is struck with the help of Arthos. During their private exchange the teen reveals he knows of an empty manor that they can check out as well.The prisoner will be set free to take the party to where the treasure is being stored. Arthos leads the way with the prisoner. After a bit of time the teen, suddenly jumps into some nearby bushes. A nasty looking creature called a deckapus descends onto the party. Karma moves to go after the teen and is grabbed by the deckapus. Arthos shoots the monster freeing his party member who goes off into the forest after the teen. Karma gets the sense the teen led the party into the creature and is pissed about it. Arthos and Rain kill the monster while Sparky joins Karma in tracking down the teen.

Eventually the party finds a tree trunk with a tunnel leading underground. With Sparky and Karma leading the way they follow the tunnel to the thieves’ camp. A munching sound can be heard from a nearby pit. When everyone looks in they find the teen being munched by a mass of dead bodies all connected. Rain recognizes the monster as a necrocraft creature. He quickly uses a spell to gain control of the monster so he won’t eat anymore of the boy. Karma rushes down to get the teen out of the pit. Once done Sparky and Arthos kill the undead monster.

Karma treats the teens wound and manacles his legs. He comes to. The teen makes an agreement with the party after much deliberation where we get the loot and the location of the manor and the teen can go free. The plan involves taking the head of one of the dead which has decayed some along with using the teens eaten off arm as proof to Captain Pike that the teen has perished. The party takes most of the treasure they find in the pit leaving ten gold pieces in the trunk. Sparky and Arthos give the teen one gold piece and Karma gives him two while Rain gives him nothing. The teen who finally give his name of Benjamin, takes the party to the manor. Ben leaves while the party observes the manor for awhile. The house is huge with well kept grounds, stables and a pool with water in it. No activity is seen in the house but the party decides not to go into it based on how well kept it looks.

They head back to the keep to return the trunk and the body parts to the captain. On the way back Arthos spots forest drake (two legged dragon) tracks figuring they are showing the creatures coming and going between their lair and their hunting ground. The party continues and soon hears footsteps; they hide seeing one of those creature pass. The party then notices leafrays swarm down as the forest drake passes. They attack Karma draining her dexterity. It takes some time but the party kills all of them. The party continues to the keep. Upon arriving they give an account of what happened saying the teen was kill producing the body parts and leaving the trunk. The captain gives Rain the key and everyone is told that if the party’s endevour to clear the ruins is successful the party will be rewarded.

The party goes back to town to rest for the night. The next morning the doctor is seen so Karma can get her wounds healed. Clarissa’s is gone to next and she has primers for Arthos and a “hide from undead” potion.

The adventurers travel to the manor again to check it out one more time but come to the same conclusion that some one or thing is keeping the place up. Deciding their time is better used to clear the ruins they head there. A large black building, the Great Temple, in surrounded by a pool and dead grass. A chain with locks secures the gate of which the key easily opens. The grounds have many masoleums which appear to be opened from the inside out. The main masoleum is three stories tall with five steps leading up to a double door left askew. As the party passes the pool a ripple is noticed so Rain zaps it with electricity. A large torrent of water rises and douses the party. A mummified figure stands in front of the adventurers. Karma immediately shoots arrows at it but they are batted away by the wavy wrappings. The wrappings grab Arthos dragging him to the creature. The monster kisses him pumping brackish water into his mouth. He is thrown back and a water barrier erected. During the battle with the mummy it also kisses Sparky as well before being killed.

The party enters the tomb and eventually make things normal again but not before finding Diccon the pawn shop owner dead at the foot of the stairs. They also do battle with nasty spiders that burrow into bodies to control them and walking hands. The spiders almost get Arthos and Rain. The diamond fist is returned to where it goes leaving the masoleum cleansed and bringing the grounds back to normal. The party returns to Captain Pike to let him know of their success in placating the curse on the grounds. Every party member is given a reward: a leaflet of papers allowing each member to get something at four shops. The four shops are: the pawn shop, Clarrissa’s potion shop, the blacksmiths’s and the seamstresss’.